Marathon 2014

English to follow the French Text and pictures

Mardi 6 mai...2 jours plus tôt. C'était donc dimanche, le 4 mai sous un ciel gris, pluvieux et venteux que l'aventure nous attendait, une aventure préparée certes mais une aventure sportive pas tout à fait comme les autres. Le marathon de Vancouver : 42.2 kms. Pourquoi 42.2 kms, nos amis les anglais en sont à l'origine. En 1908 à Londres, l'épouse de Édouard VII souhaitait voir le départ des coureurs à partir des fenêtres du château de Windsor. La distance allait jusqu'au stade de Shepherd rebaptise White city depuis et la distance faisait donc 26 miles et 385 yards soit en fait 42,195 kms arrondis à 42,2. Bon voilà un peu d'histoire pour éclaircir ce mystère du 42,2 mais l'origine de départ fut bien sur la Grèce en 890 avant JC quand les Grecs remporterent une victoire sur la plaine de Marathon contre les Perses.

C'est donc sous la pluie et dans le froid que nous nous sommes mis en route pour cette épreuve qui en est vraiment une. La veille et en prévision des conclusions obstinées de la météo, j'avais été acheter 2 ponchos pour pouvoir patienter sous la pluie sans être tout à fait trempe avant le départ du marathon prévu à 8h30.

Chronologiquement, la veille, nous nous sommes fait une journée très tranquille, sans activité physique demandante, un coucher vers 10h00 et une alarme-réveil à 5h15 le lendemain. En fait, l'alarme n'a eu le temps de faire son travail. A 5h00, aux grands désespoirs de ma femme, j'étais debout, prêt...a noter que nos affaires l'étaient aussi mais depuis la journée d'avant. Pas question d'oublier quoique ce soit...3 heures plus tard, près de 5000 autres ponchos attendaient aussi, beaucoup regardaient le ciel grisâtre et plus que menaçant, la pluie n'ayant pas arrêté depuis la veille, avec une certaine angoisse et une angoisse certaine pour d'autres. Les discussions allaient bon train sur la façon de s'habiller. Ici, on ne parlait pas de la dernière tendance de la mode parisienne mais du nombre de couches idéales à porter sur soi au moment de la course .

Je dédie ce marathon à ma chère Maman, à mon Papa décédé il y a déjà 4 ans ( c'est à lui que je me suis adresse quand moi aussi j'ai frappé le mur ) et à tous ceux que j'aime.

Un grand remerciement aussi à ma femme pour son soutien et sa détermination, à mon éditeur ( joke ), et à mon ego sans qui rien de tout cela n'aurait pu se réalise.

Je ne voudrais pas oublier ici, parce que c'est une composante quasi incontournable, notre club Running Room et son équipe et plus particulièrement Justin et Chris, team leader. Chris parce que c'est en partie grace a lui que je me suis hissé a la cadence à laquelle je cours aujourd'hui, c'est avec lui aussi que j'ai fait mes premiers 20 kms le jour du marathon et puis il y a Justin, aussi team leader. Justin fut et est la force qui de semaine en semaine nous a permis de croire en nous, en nos capacités et d'aller au-delà de nous-même.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014... 2 days earlier. It was Sunday, May 4th under a grey, rainy and windy weather. The adventure was waiting for us. We had prepared for it, it's true, but it was a sport adventure not quite like the others. The Vancouver BMO Marathon: 42.2 kms. Why 42.2K? Our British friends are at the origin of it. In 1908 in London, Edouard VI's wife wanted to see the start of the runners from the windows of the Windsor's Castle. The distance was going to the Shepherd Stadium (which has been renamed White City since then) and the distance was therefore 26 miles and 385 yards which is really 42.195 kms. Here we go, some history to shed some light on this 42.2K but of course, at the origin of this race, it was started in Greece in 890 before JC when the Greeks wan a battle on the plain of Marathon over the Persians.

Under the rain and being cold, this is how we started this challenge which is truly one. The day before and because of the obstinate weather forecasts, I had bought 2 ponchos in order to wait patiently under the rain without being soaked at the start of the race at 8:30am.

The day before we had a very quiet day without any demanding physical activity, went to bed at around 10pm and set the alarm clock for 5:15am. In fact, the alarm clock did not have to do its job. At 5am and to my wife's dismay, I was up, ready... a note to mention that all our gear was ready as well. You don't want to forget anything... 3 hours later, close to 5000 other ponchos were waiting as well, many were looking at the greyish and still threatening sky. The rain had not stopped since the day before and you could feel a certain anxiety amongst many of us. The conversations were not around the last trends of the Parisian fashion but focused on how many layers it was appropriate to wear for the run.

After deciding that only one layer but a pair of gloves were what was needed, it was time to join the mass of other runners ready to sprint. In a noisy atmosphere it was soon my turn to start. Amazingly, this year, I was very calm and serene. My goal: 3hours 40 min... Therefore, as in 2013, like Forrest Gump, I started running. Run, Alain, ruuuunnnnn...

I was getting more and more obsessed with reaching my goal. The big difference with last year was that this time I knew what to expect... or I thought I did. After the first 21.1K, in order to reach my goal, I now knew that in order to meet my goal, I had to keep a certain pace and avoid at all costs any stops. I was obsessed by my watch and hitting the wall. Let me explain what ''hitting the wall'' is. It usually happens around the thirty second kilometer and this is a critical time during your race. Why? because it is the moment of self doubt, of despair, of fight between your morale and your physical strengths. For some, abandoning is the only option. Preparing for the race is critical. For us, it started in January 2014. Every week, 5 times a week, no matter how bad the weather was, training was on our schedule. We were also watching our diet, not drastically but more balanced than usual. Between January and May 2014, I lost 4 kilos. Having lost them certainly contributed to my accomplishing the time of 3hours 40 minutes, to be exact 3hours 39 minutes.

I dedicate this marathon to my beloved mom, to my father deceased 4 years ago. I talked to him when I hit the wall and to all those that I love. A big thank you as well to my wife for her support and her determination, to my publisher (joke) and to my own ego as I would not have been able to do this otherwise.

I don't want to forget as well, as they played a critical role, the Denman Running Room in Vancouver and its team. In particular, I would like to thank Justin and Chris, the Clinic and Pace leaders. I trained with Chris to maintain my pace and I also ran my first 20K in the marathon with him. Justin is the strength who week after week allowed us to believe in ourselves, in our capabilities and to push ourselves to our limits.

 

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